Series: Edinburgh Studies in Classical Islamic History and Culture

This imaginative and accessible study of the lyrical, humorous, social, and educational aspects of classical Persian poetry focuses on the works of the master medieval poet Sa'di of Shiraz (d. 1291), one of the funniest, most influential, and lyrical figures in classical Persian poetry. Sa'di, a prominent ethicist and a devout teacher of virtues, stands out for his worldliness, his...

This book studies the relationship between political thought, preaching and emotions through the writings of Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1201), a celebrated hortatory preacher in late-Abbasid Baghdad. Through an intertextual analysis of Ibn al-Jawzi's works in various genres, Preaching Pious Rulership in Medieval Islam details how his ideal form of rulership reflected the emotional norms and pietistic moral virtues promoted in...